Sheet dispenser carton with support member

ABSTRACT

A dispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets is provided. The dispensing carton has a substantially flat bottom wall and four substantially flat side walls. The four substantially flat side walls are contiguous with one another and are contiguous with the bottom wall. The carton has a top wall that is contiguous with the four side walls. The top wall has an aperture therethrough. A support member is located inside the carton. The support member is substantially equal distance from two opposing side walls of the carton.

BACKGROUND

[0001] Disposable sheet style dispensers are well known in the art fordispensing individual folded sheet products such as facial tissues, handwipes, or the like. In general, disposable sheet dispensers typicallyinclude a container and a stack or clip of prefolded, interfolded sheetsdisposed within the container. The sheets may be C-folded or V-folded sothat once the top sheet in the clip is withdrawn, the underlying sheetis individually presented for subsequent use.

[0002] In use, the sheets are dispensed through a fairly large oval ordiamond shaped opening centrally located in the top panel of the carton.To access the sheets, the user reaches into the carton through theopening to access the top sheet and then pulls the top sheet through theopening.

[0003] One of the most common problems found in disposable sheetdispensers concerns the issue of “fall back”. This involves a situationwhere the leading edge of the sheet drops down through the dispensingslot. The user must then reach into the carton and grasp the sheet,pulling it out of the carton for use. Sometimes, this results in severalsheets being removed from the carton instead of just one. Further, theopening in the top of the carton may not be large enough to accommodatea user's hand, resulting in damage to the top panel of the carton.

[0004] Damage to the opening slot may promote more fall back since itweakens the support the leading edge may have gotten from the slotstructure.

[0005] There are many ways in which fall back may occur. Three commonways are mentioned here and they all involve situations where the box isapproximately half empty or less. First, the stack inside the box cannotsupport itself straight up, so it starts to fold over. As it folds over,it pulls the leading edge of the tissue down below the dispensing slot.Second, as in the first example, the stack does not support itself andhas bent over, pulling the leading edge closer to the dispensing slot.In this case, if the box gets moved or bumped which causes eithermovement in the stack which pulls the leading edge all the way through,or the leading edge just falls down through the slot. The third exampleis that the sheets in the box have somehow worked themselves apart abit, so that when the leading edge is pulled the overlap comes apart andfails to bring up the leading edge of the next sheet.

[0006] The situation of “fall back” is defined as a quality defect, andis considered to be a major inconvenience to the user and has resultedin user complaints. A need in the art exists for a disposable sheetdispenser carton that significantly reduces “fall back” and improves theperformance of past disposable sheet dispensers.

SUMMARY

[0007] Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in partin the following description, or may be obvious from the description, ormay be learned through practice of the invention.

[0008] The present invention provides for an improved sheet dispensercarton that has a support member for dispensing disposable sheets. Inone embodiment, the dispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheetshas a substantially flat bottom wall and four substantially flat sidewalls that are contiguous with one another and contiguous with thebottom wall. The carton also has a top wall that is contiguous with thefour side walls. The top wall has an aperture therethrough from whichinterfolded sheets may be dispensed.

[0009] A support member extends from the bottom wall into the interiorof the carton towards the top wall. An edge of the support memberclosest to the top wall is configured for engaging the stack ofinterfolded sheets. The sides of the support member on either side ofthe edge extend vertically from the bottom wall of the carton and aresubstantially parallel to the adjacent side walls of the carton. Thesupport member has legs that contact each side of the support member,and each leg is substantially parallel with the bottom wall of thecarton. A stack of interfolded sheets is disposed about the supportmember within the carton. The sheets are removed from the carton throughthe aperture in the top wall.

[0010] The invention also includes an embodiment as previouslydiscussed, where an end sheet of the stack of interfolded sheets isadhered to the support member.

[0011] In one embodiment, the support member is a folded piece ofmaterial that contacts the bottom wall of the carton. The support memberextends into the interior of the carton substantially equal distancefrom two opposing side walls of the carton. The support member issubstantially in the shape of an inverted T.

[0012] Alternatively, the dispensing carton for dispensing interfoldedsheets as previously discussed may further include a stack ofinterfolded sheets. The stack is disposed about the support memberwithin the carton. A sheet on the end of the stack may be adhered to thesupport member, and the sheets are removed from the carton in theaperture top wall.

[0013] A further embodiment of the present invention also encompasses adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets. The carton includesa square shaped top wall and square shaped bottom wall. The carton hasfour side walls contiguous with one another and also contiguous with thetop and bottom walls. The top wall of the carton has an aperturetherethrough.

[0014] A support member that may be a folded piece of material contactsthe bottom wall of the carton. The support member extends into theinterior of the carton at a substantially equal distance from twoopposing side walls of the carton. The support member may be in theshape of an inverted T. The portion of the support member that extendsinto the carton has two side walls that contact the full length of acommon edge of the support member.

[0015] Further, a stack of interfolded sheets are present that aredisposed about the support member within the carton. A sheet on the endof the stack may be adhered to the support member. The sheets areremoved from the carton through the aperture in the top wall of thecarton.

[0016] A further embodiment of the present invention includes adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets. The dispensingcarton is composed of a carton that has a substantially flat bottomwall. The carton also has four substantially flat side walls that arecontiguous with one another and contiguous with the bottom wall. Thecarton has a top wall that is contiguous with the four side walls, andthe top wall has an aperture therethrough. A support member is locatedinside the carton. The support member is substantially equal distancefrom two opposing side walls of the carton.

[0017] An additional embodiment of the present invention includes adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets that includes acarton. The carton has a substantially flat bottom wall. The carton alsohas four substantially flat side walls that are contiguous with oneanother and contiguous with the bottom wall. The carton also has a topwall that is contiguous with the four side walls. The top wall has anaperture therethrough. A support member is located inside the carton.The support member is substantially equal distance from two opposingside walls of the carton. The support member has adhesion locatedthereon for engagement with an end sheet of a stack of interfoldedsheets.

[0018] An additional embodiment of the present invention includes adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets. The dispensingcarton has a carton that has a substantially flat bottom wall. Thecarton also has substantially flat side walls that are contiguous withone another and contiguous with the bottom wall. The carton has a topwall that is contiguous with the side walls, and the top wall has anaperture therethrough. A support member is located inside the carton.The support member is substantially equal distance from two of theopposing side walls of the carton. Also, the support member is connectedto at least one of the side walls.

[0019] A further embodiment of the present invention includes adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets that has a cartonwith a substantially flat bottom wall. The carton also has substantiallyflat side walls that are contiguous with one another and contiguous withthe bottom wall. A top wall is contiguous with the side walls, and thetop wall has an aperture therethrough. A support member is locatedinside of the carton. The support member is substantially equal distancefrom two opposing side walls of the carton. The support member isconnected to one of the side walls. The support member has adhesionlocated thereon for engagement with an end sheet of a stack ofinterfolded sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention is described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021]FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a support memberused in a dispensing carton of the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 1B is another embodiment of a support member having anadhesion area used in another embodiment of a dispensing carton of thepresent invention.

[0023]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of thestack of interfolded sheets, support member, and dispensing carton inanother embodiment of the invention.

[0024]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a sheet dispensercarton having a support member in accordance with the present invention.The view shows a sheet being dispensed from an aperture in the top wallof the carton.

[0025]FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3. Theview shows the stack of interfolded sheets disposed about the supportmember, and also shows a stack of interfolded sheets in phantom lines ifthe support member was not present.

[0026]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a sheetdispenser carton having a support member in accordance with the presentinvention. The view shows the support member being in two pieces andbeing connected to the side walls of the carton. The view is of thedispenser carton being in an unassembled state in order to show thepositioning of the support member.

[0027]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.The view shows a stack of interfolded sheets disposed inside of thecarton and shows the support member being disposed through the stack ofinterfolded sheets. The dispenser carton is in an unassembled state inorder to show the positioning of the support member with respect to thestack of interfolded sheets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of theinvention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in thedrawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of theinvention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example,features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be usedwith another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It isintended that the present invention include these and othermodifications and variations.

[0029] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 3 shows a sheet dispensercarton 10 having a support member 22. The support member 22 is locatedwithin the dispensing carton 10. The support member 22 rests on thebottom wall 14 of the dispensing carton 10. A stack of interfoldedsheets 28 is positioned inside dispensing carton 10, and rests on top ofthe support member 22.

[0030] One embodiment of a support member 22 in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 1A. Here, the support member 22consists of a folded sheet of relatively stiff or rigid cardboard.However, it is to be understood that the support member 22 can be madeof any type of material and is not limited to only cardboard. Thesupport member 22 is folded into generally four sections. Two of thesesections are the legs 34 of the support member 22. The legs 34 are oneither side of the sides 26 of support member 22. An edge 24 of thesupport member 22 is formed by the meeting of both sides 26 of thesupport member 22. In accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, the sides 26 and legs 34 of the support member 22 when viewedon end have a substantially inverted T-shape.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 22 is placed inside of thedispensing carton 10. The dispensing carton 10 consists of four sidewalls 16 that are contiguous with one another. Further, the dispensingcarton 10 also has a top wall 18 contiguous with the four side walls 16.A bottom wall 14 is present which is likewise contiguous with the fourside walls 16. FIG. 2 shows that the support member 22 can be insertedinto the dispensing carton 10 through an opening in one of the sidewalls 16. However, it is to be understood that the present invention isnot limited to insertion of the support member 22 into the dispensingcarton 10 through a side wall 16. For instance, the support member 22can be inserted through either the top wall 18, the bottom wall 14, orformed integrally with dispensing carton 10. Additionally, thedispensing carton 10 can be formed around a preexisting support member22, and the invention is not limited to a particular way of insertingsupport member 22 into the dispensing carton 10.

[0032] The stack of interfolded sheets 28 consists of a plurality ofindividual interfolded sheets 36. The interfolded sheets 36 may also bereferred to as interfolded wipes. The stack of interfolded sheets 28 isplaced on top of the support member 22. The stack of interfolded sheets28 is folded in such a way that a central pocket 29 is formed. The sides26 of the support member 22 are positioned inside of the pocket 29. TheEdge 24 may have a height so as to engage the stack of interfoldedsheets 28 in one embodiment.

[0033]FIG. 3 shows an assembled view of the carton 10, stack ofinterfolded sheets 28, and support member 22. An aperture 20 is presentin the top wall 18 of the dispensing carton 10. Sheets 36 may bedispensed through the aperture 20. Such a dispensing technique is wellknown in the art, along with the method of interfolding the stack ofinterfolded sheets 28 such that the interfolded sheets 36 are configuredto allow for the single dispensing of a sheet 36 and subsequentreplacing of sheet 36 as one is dispensed.

[0034] The presence of support member 22 prevents the stack ofinterfolded sheets 28 from falling towards the bottom wall 14 of thedispensing carton 10 as the sheets 36 are removed. In effect, thesupport member 22 urges the stack of interfolded sheets 28 towards thetop wall 18 of the dispensing carton 10.

[0035]FIG. 4 shows a stack of interfolded sheets 28 in phantom linesthat are not supported by a support member 22. FIG. 4 also shows a stackof interfolded sheets 28 in solid lines that are supported by a supportmember 22. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the stack 28 that is supported bysupport member 22 is held closer to the top wall 18 than the stack 28that is not supported by support member 22 which falls towards thebottom wall 14. Keeping the stack of interfolded sheets 28 towards thetop wall 18, especially when few interfolded sheets 36 remain, helpsprevent the problem of “fall back”. It has been found that when fewerinterfolded sheets 36 are present in the stack of interfolded sheets 28,the center height of the stack of interfolded sheets 28 falls towardsthe bottom wall 14. Inclusion of a support member 22 helps to maintainthe original center height of the stack of interfolded sheets 28 andconsequently minimizes fall back of the interfolded sheets 36.

[0036]FIG. 1B shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, whereinthe support member 22 has an adhesive 30 applied to the sides 26.Although FIG. 1B only shows the adhesive 30 being applied to one side26, it is to be understood that the adhesive 30 may be applied to bothsides 26. Now referring also to FIG. 2, when the stack of interfoldedsheets 28 is placed upon the support member 22, the end sheet 32 of theinterfolded sheets 36 contacts the adhesive 30 and is retained thereon.This retention helps to keep the stack of interfolded sheets 28 in placeduring the removal of sheets 36. The use of the adhesive 30 has beenfound advantageous especially when few interfolded sheets 36 are left inthe stack of interfolded sheets 28. It is to be understood that theadhesive 30 may be of various forms in different embodiments of thepresent invention. For instance, the adhesive 30 may be in the form ofan adhesive strip or pattern of glue. Further, the adhesion force on theend sheet 32 as shown in FIG. 4 may be strong or weak, allowing for theend sheet 32 to be dispensed as were the other sheets 36 or to beretained on the support member 22 and not dispensed.

[0037] Referring now to alternative embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B,and 2, the support member 22 can be an individual component that isinserted into the dispensing carton 10, or can be a component formedintegrally with the dispensing carton 10. The edge 24 of the supportmember 22 can be in one embodiment a straight edge. However, theinvention is not limited to the edge being a straight edge.

[0038] The sides 26 of the support member 22 are substantially verticaland approach being parallel to the side walls 16 of the dispensingcarton 10. The legs 34 of the support member 22 are substantiallyparallel with the bottom wall 14 of the dispensing carton 10. By havingthis configuration, the support member 22 allows for the stack ofinterfolded sheets 28 to be draped over the sides 26 of the supportmember 22 and at the same time have the edges 13 of the interfoldedsheets 36 be substantially perpendicular to the legs 34 of the supportmember 22.

[0039] However, in some embodiments of the present invention, the edges13 may not be substantially perpendicular to the legs 34. As seen fromthe side, the legs 34 and sides 26 are substantially in the shape of aninverted T.

[0040] The dispensing carton 10 can be of any number of shapes andsizes, for instance the dispensing carton 10 may be in the shape of acube or may have a top wall 18 and bottom wall 14 that are rectangularshaped.

[0041] Addition of the support member 22 also provides other advantagesto the sheet dispenser carton. For instance, the support member 22 maybe sized such that the legs 34 each contact opposite side walls 16 ofthe dispensing carton 10. Further, the sides 26 of the support member 22can be equally spaced from these side walls 16. Centering of the stackof interfolded sheets 28 on the sides 26 of the support member 22therefore allows for a precise positioning of the stack of interfoldedsheets 28 within the dispensing carton 10. This allows for a moreaccurate dispensing of the sheets 36 through the aperture 20 because amore precise alignment is attained. Such a support member 22 will alsoprovide for stability of the stack of interfolded sheets 28 within thedispensing carton 10 during shipment of the sheet dispenser carton. Thesupport member 22 is also advantageous in that it helps to keep thestack of interfolded sheets 28 urged towards the top wall 18 even if thedispensing carton 10 is turned such that the side wall 16 is now thebottom wall.

[0042] The present invention includes an embodiment of the supportmember 22 that has sides 26 and edge 24, but does not have legs 34.

[0043]FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the dispensing carton 10 inaccordance with the present invention. The dispensing carton 10 iscomposed of a top wall 18 and a bottom wall 14. Side walls 16 arepresent in this embodiment. Some of the side walls 16 are formed by twopieces, while other side walls 16 are formed by one piece. The supportmember 22 is made of two separate pieces in this embodiment. One of thepieces of the support member 22 is connected to one of the side walls16, and another piece of the support member 22 is connected to adifferent side wall 16.

[0044] Although the support member 22 is shown as two separate pieces inthis embodiment, it is to be understood that the support member 22 maybe one piece that is connected to one of the side walls 16.Additionally, two of the side walls 16 of the dispensing carton 10 areshown as being formed by two separate pieces. It is to be understoodthat the present invention includes an embodiment of the dispensingcarton 10 where the side walls of the dispensing carton 10 are formed byone or more pieces, and the invention is not limited to any number ofpieces in forming side walls 16.

[0045] Adhesive 30 is applied to the support member 22 in FIG. 5.Adhesive 30 may be applied to one of the pieces of the support member 22or to both of the pieces of the support member 22. The support member 22functions substantially as previously discussed. A stack of interfoldedsheets 28 is located over the edge 24 of the support member 22, andsubstantially surrounds the support member 22. FIG. 6 shows the supportmember 22 located in the central pocket 29 of the stack of interfoldedsheets 28. FIG. 6 shows how the side walls 16 are folded in order toposition the support member 22 into the central pocket 29. It may be thecase that a loading machine (not shown) that is used to assemble thedispensing carton 10 with a stack of interfolded sheets 28 will have tobe equipped with a guide element (not shown) to help position one orboth pieces of the support member 22 into the central pocket 29. It maybe the case that both pieces of the support member 22 contact oneanother upon assembly, or it may be the case that a gap is left betweenthe pieces of the support member 22 upon assembly. Both of theseconfigurations are to be considered within the scope of the presentinvention.

[0046] A preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of adispensing carton 10 that is generally cube shaped, that is therefore inthe shape of a boutique box.

[0047] It should be understood that the invention includes variousmodifications and variations that can be made to the embodiments of thesheet dispenser carton with a support member described herein as comewithin the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispensing carton for dispensing interfoldedsheets comprising: a carton having a substantially flat bottom wall, thecarton also having four substantially flat side walls contiguous withone another and contiguous with the bottom wall, the carton also havinga top wall contiguous with the four side walls, the top wall having anaperture therethrough; a support member having generally vertical sidesextending from the bottom wall into the interior of the carton towardsthe top wall, an edge of the support member closest to the top wallconfigured for engaging the stack of interfolded sheets, the sides ofthe support member on either side of the edge are substantially parallelto the adjacent side walls of the carton, the support member having legsthat contact each side of the support member and each leg issubstantially parallel with the bottom wall of the carton; and a stackof interfolded sheets disposed about the support member within thecarton, the sheets are removed from the carton through the aperture inthe top wall.
 2. The dispensing carton of claim 1, wherein an end sheetof the stack of interfolded sheets is adhered to the support member. 3.The dispensing carton of claim 1, wherein the support member is a foldedmember.
 4. The dispensing carton of claim 1, wherein the carton isgenerally cube shaped.
 5. The dispensing carton of claim 1, wherein thecarton is generally rectangular shaped.
 6. The dispensing carton ofclaim 1, wherein the legs of the support member contact two side wallsof the carton and the two sides of the support member are spaced equaldistance from the other two side walls of the carton.
 7. The dispensingcarton of claim 1, wherein the edge of the support member closest to thetop wall is a straight edge.
 8. The dispensing carton of claim 1,further comprising adhesion located on the support member.
 9. Adispensing carton for dispensing interfolded sheets comprising: a cartonhaving a substantially flat bottom wall, the carton also having foursubstantially flat side walls contiguous with one another and contiguouswith the bottom wall, the carton also having a top wall contiguous withthe four side walls, the top wall having an aperture therethrough; and asupport member being a folded piece of material contacting the bottomwall of the carton, the support member extends into the interior of thecarton substantially equal distance from two opposing side walls of thecarton, the support member being substantially in the shape of aninverted T.
 10. The dispensing carton of claim 9, further comprising: astack of interfolded sheets disposed about the support member within thecarton, a sheet on the end of the stack is adhered to the supportmember, the sheets are removed from the carton through the aperture inthe top wall.
 11. The dispensing carton of claim 9, wherein the cartonis generally cube shaped.
 12. The dispensing carton of claim 9, whereinthe support member contacts at least two side walls of the carton. 13.The dispensing carton of claim 9, further comprising adhesion located onthe support member.
 14. A dispensing carton for dispensing interfoldedsheets comprising: a carton having a square shaped top wall and a squareshaped bottom wall, the carton also having four side walls contiguouswith one another and contiguous with the top and bottom walls, the topwall of the carton having an aperture therethrough; a support memberbeing a folded piece of material contacting the bottom wall of thecarton, the support member extends into the interior of the cartonsubstantially equal distance from two opposing side walls of the carton,the support member being in the shape of an inverted T, the portion ofthe support member that extends into the carton has two side walls thatcontact the full length of a common edge of the support member; and astack of interfolded sheets disposed about the support member within thecarton, a sheet on the end of the stack is adhered to the supportmember, the sheets are removed from the carton through the aperture inthe top wall of the carton.
 15. A dispensing carton for dispensinginterfolded sheets comprising: a carton having a substantially flatbottom wall, the carton also having four substantially flat side wallscontiguous with one another and contiguous with the bottom wall, thecarton also having a top wall contiguous with the four side walls, thetop wall having an aperture therethrough; and a support member locatedinside the carton, the support member being substantially equal distancefrom two opposing side walls of the carton.
 16. A dispensing carton fordispensing interfolded sheets comprising: a carton having asubstantially flat bottom wall, the carton also having foursubstantially flat side walls contiguous with one another and contiguouswith the bottom wall, the carton also having a top wall contiguous withthe four side walls, the top wall having an aperture therethrough; and asupport member located inside the carton, the support member beingsubstantially equal distance from two opposing side walls of the carton,the support member having adhesion located thereon for engagement withan end sheet of a stack of interfolded sheets.
 17. A dispensing cartonfor dispensing interfolded sheets comprising: a carton having asubstantially flat bottom wall, the carton also having substantiallyflat side walls contiguous with one another and contiguous with thebottom wall, the carton also having a top wall contiguous with the sidewalls, the top wall having an aperture therethrough; and a supportmember located inside the carton, the support member being substantiallyequal distance from two of the opposing side walls of the carton, thesupport member being connected to at least one of the side walls. 18.The dispensing carton of claim 17, wherein the support member isconnected to at least two of the side walls, and wherein the supportmember has adhesion located thereon for engagement with an end sheet ofa stack of interfolded sheets.
 19. The dispensing carton of claim 17,wherein the support member is made of two pieces and each piece isconnected to a different side wall.
 20. The dispensing carton of claim19, wherein at least one of the pieces of the support member hasadhesion located thereon for engagement with an end sheet of a stack ofinterfolded sheets.
 21. The dispensing carton of claim 17, wherein thecarton is generally cube shaped.
 22. A dispensing carton for dispensinginterfolded sheets comprising: a carton having a substantially flatbottom wall, the carton also having substantially flat side wallscontiguous with one another and contiguous with the bottom wall, thecarton also having a top wall contiguous with the side walls, the topwall having an aperture therethrough; and a support member locatedinside the carton, the support member being substantially equal distancefrom two opposing side walls of the carton, the support member beingconnected to one of the side walls, the support member having adhesionlocated thereon for engagement with an end sheet of a stack ofinterfolded sheets.
 23. The dispensing carton of claim 22, wherein thecarton is generally cube shaped.